To explore the relationship between youth and adult leadership--or the relationship between the youth leadership literature and the adult leadership literature--it is important to examine where and how youth appear in the discussions on leadership. Based on a comparison of the literature focused on adult leadership development compared to the leadership literature focused on youth (or the youth development literature focused on leadership), an important contrast comes into focus. The literature addressing youth leadership development most often focuses on leadership "ability" (skills, knowledge, and talents): for example, how do, and how should, educators support youth in development of specific leadership skills? By contrast, the adult leadership literature may address ability, but it also focuses on issues of "authority" (voice, influence, and decision-making power): how do, and how should, leaders apply those skills to real-life situations where significant consequences are at stake? In this article, the author explores the difference between these two and tries to bridge the gap by applying "adult" leadership theories to youth leadership development. (Contains 46 notes.)